Month: December 2012

Chateau Restoration, LLC Awarded Best of 2012 on Kudzu!!!

Voted by Kudzu users as a top company in Woodstock, GA in

Water & Fire Damage Restoration

[Woodstock, GA] – Dec. 23, 2012 – Chateau Restoration, LLC was named a Best of 2012 winner in Woodstock Water & Fire Damage Restoration on Kudzu, the leading source of local business information and consumer reviews. Over 5 million businesses competed across 30 categories, and winners were awarded based on the highest number of votes received on Kudzu.com.

Chateau Restoration, LLC is an Accredited Business with the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating. The company is owned by a licensed General Contractor with almost 40 years of building experience. Chateau is unique in the fact that, as a specialty contractor, they are highly proficient in dealing with insurance companies to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Chateau Restoration (a division of Chateau Development, Inc.) is also a state certified builder contractor for water, fire, and smoke damage restoration taking pride in providing quality services, top notch customer service, professionalism, and proven quality craftsmanship. Chateau will work with your Insurance Company every step of the way. Since they specialize in insurance claims, most of their repair jobs require little or no out-of-pocket cost to the property owner (other than deductible, if required by the insurance policy). They also have a wide variety of product upgrade options, which their salesmen can show you.

“We consider it a substantial honor to be among the most highly regarded and trusted Water & Fire Damage Restoration companies in the Metro-Atlanta area. I would say that winning this award from Kudzu certainly strengthens our dedication to our loyal customers. We want to always be there for them,” said Howard Johnsa, CEO of Chateau Restoration, LLC and Chateau Development, Inc., and Disaster Response Team, LLC.

“Consumers value companies who appreciate their business and provide superior service. We wanted to create an open forum where the best companies could be recognized by Kudzu users,” said Fran Wills, General Manager of Kudzu.

Kudzu helps consumers research and evaluate services and choose highly rated providers in their area. Kudzu.com features expert videos, business profiles, consumer reviews and 30,500 money-saving deals for homeowners in every major U.S. city. Kudzu.com is owned by Cox Search Inc., a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, a leading communications, media and automotive services company. Cox’s businesses include Cox Communications, Manheim, AutoTrader.com and Cox Media Group. For more information, visithttp://www.kudzu.com.

Not necessarily. Contractors are loyal to their referral source. This can, at times, create obvious conflicts of interest. Since it is crucial for you to determine the appropriate scope of damages without bias or partiality, it is best to employ your personal contractor of preference.

It is of much greater importance to agree upon the highest and best scope and material usage than upon price alone. The “preferred” contractor sent out by the insurance company represents their interests, not yours, yet you are expected to hire them. Keep in mind, you as the homeowner are free to select any licensed contractor of your choosing. You are not required to hire whoever the insurance company sends out.

When an adjuster tells you they want their own contractor to come out and inspect the loss and provide an estimate, rest assured it isn’t because they’re concerned with establishing a more complete scope. It’s usually all about price.

In a typical water damage insurance claim, you’ll have damage to the cabinets, damage to the drywall, damage to the insulation, and damage to the wall studs. Let’s look at each of these independently starting with the cabinets. Cabinets are typically made from mdf (mdf stands for medium density fiberboard, which is commonly used in cabinet construction due to its dimensional stability). While this may be a dimensionally stable building material, it is highly susceptible to damage when exposed to water – even for a short time, due to the wicking effect. Very serious damage can occur within a few days and once damaged, they must be replaced.

Drywall is also highly susceptible to damage when exposed to water – even for a short time. Exposure to water over a period of several days is sufficient to call for all of the drywall to be replaced. Insulation behind the drywall can withstand minor exposure to water, but the paper covering the insulation is highly susceptible to damage when exposed to any water. The wood studs can usually withstand water exposure for weeks, maybe even months before they begin to completely rot or deteriorate.

So, to recap: The damage to the cabinets, drywall, and insulation occur only after a short exposure to water. Damage to the wood studs behind the wall takes time. What’s important to remember is this: If you would have to replace the cabinets, drywall, and insulation after a short exposure to water, then the long term exposure to those cabinets, drywall, and insulation over a period of weeks or months may make the damage look worse, but it does not increase the loss from an insurance standpoint.

Dealing with water damage can turn into a nightmare. If not properly mitigated, water can penetrate into structural cavities and assemblies, creating trapped pockets of saturation. It is often too late that property owners become aware of the ill-effects of this trapped water on structural and other building materials, which may include: discoloration, warping, splitting, delamination, musty odor, and mold growth.

The consequences of ineffective restoration – including possible health effects – are far too great to leave water damage improperly restored. Most property owners (and contractors actually) are not familiar with the essential steps and tactics for proper restoration, and naturally, they have a lot of problems and questions. That’s where Chateau Restoration, LLC comes in. We are state licensed, certified, properly insured, and qualified through formal training and experience to quickly handle any problem.

We remove excess water efficiently, which promotes efficient evaporation, and then we establish the dehumidification conditions necessary to stop on-going damage. Moreover, we can oversee and document the return of your property and contents to a “pre-loss” condition to ensure that future problems will not be experienced. All of this helps facilitate the insurance claims process.

So if you experience ANY water damage to your property, call us FIRST. We can usually be on-site within an hour (if you’re in the metro-Atlanta area), and since we ONLY work for insurance proceeds, we do not charge you any money up front. We make it so easy. Call 770-591-7083, ext. 250 to speak with Eric.

So what’s the problem with mold anyway? For starters, mold, fungi and/or bacteria is likely to grow in or around areas such as carpet, padding, walls, cabinets, and elsewhere within the structure, causing further property damage, unpleasant odors, and potential health hazards. The problems which may result include, but are not limited to infection, allergic and inflammatory illness and disease, as well as structural and aesthetic damage such as warping, decay, dry rot, diminished property value, or other problems.

So if you think you may have an indoor mold problem, call us at 770-591-7083 for an inspection today. Chateau Restoration, LLC is a construction company owned by a licensed General Contractor who is also a Certified Mold Remediation Contractor, among many other things.

When we take on a mold remediation project, it’s important to reduce the hysteria most people feel toward it. Mold is everywhere and the goal of our work is not to remove every spore, as that would be virtually impossible. As soon as you open the front door, thousands of spores will float back in. Our goal is to bring the concentrations down to normal levels. If you require it, third party verification will be performed by an Environmental Consultant. Expect to see some mold on his report. This is normal, even in extremely clean buildings.

We are not environmental consultants and will not take any mold samples. If you have scientific questions, contact a qualified indoor environmental consultant. If you have medical questions, call your doctor. We cannot give you medical advice. It is important that proper medical diagnosis not be confused with undue emphasis on indoor air quality issues.

Now on the other hand, there are specific health issues related to indoor mold growth, so lets learn a little more here. There are many types of mold, and none of them will grow without water or moisture, so it is important that you immediately find and repair all sources of water intrusion on your property. Unless we have advised you otherwise, it is your duty and responsibility to make sure your property remains properly ventilated to inhibit mold growth.

Generally speaking, molds are usually not a problem indoors, and will not grow unless mold spores land on a wet or damp spot and begin growing. Molds have the potential to cause health problems. Molds produce allergens, irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances (mycotoxins). Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Molds can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold. In addition, mold exposure may cause irritation in both mold-allergic and non-allergic people. Symptoms other than the allergic and irritant types are not commonly reported as a result of inhaling mold. Research on mold and health effects is ongoing.